When the Miami Heat talk about “staying ready,” they mean it - and Myron Gardner just gave that mantra a heartbeat.
The undrafted rookie guard hadn’t seen much action this season. Heading into the weekend, Gardner had logged just 68 total minutes and had played more than five minutes in a game only three times.
But when injuries to Davion Mitchell, Jaime Jaquez Jr., and Tyler Herro left the Heat shorthanded, Gardner’s number was called - literally in the middle of the night. At 3 a.m., he got the call, caught two flights, and made it to Miami just in time to suit up against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
And then? He delivered.
In a tight two-point win, Gardner put together a breakout performance off the bench, scoring a career-high 11 points in just 15 minutes. He didn’t miss a shot - 4-for-4 from the field, including a perfect 3-for-3 from deep. Only Simone Fontecchio scored more among Miami’s reserves.
But Gardner’s impact went beyond the box score. His presence was electric. He brought the kind of energy that doesn’t just show up in stats - it shows up in momentum swings, in hustle plays, in the way a team suddenly feels alive again.
“Myron is our energy,” Heat captain Bam Adebayo said, grinning. “I don’t know how to really describe Myron.
You just have to hang around him. He’s got this ‘kid energy.’
You know how kids just run around all day and never get tired? That’s him.”
Adebayo didn’t stop there.
“You need teammates like him. Throw him in the game and he’s going to play as hard as possible.
When Myron checks in, you instantly feel a difference. He’s going to compete.
He’s going to play hard. He’s going to defend.
He’s going to foul. But that’s what you want - someone who can spark the energy of the arena, the players, the coaching staff.
He has that type of energy. He can spark us.”
And that’s exactly what happened.
When Gardner checked in with 6:21 left in the second quarter, the Heat were down 52-40. Within 40 seconds, he hit back-to-back threes.
Another 40 seconds later, he buried his third triple. Just like that, the deficit was down to three.
He wasn’t done.
Gardner sent a message defensively too, swatting away a Luguentz Dort floater. Then in the third quarter, he capped off his night with a putback dunk - a fitting exclamation mark for a performance built on hustle and instinct.
In a game where the Heat were missing three key players, it was a total team effort. Everyone had to step up.
And Gardner, the 10th man in the rotation, became the unexpected spark plug. He didn’t just fill minutes - he shifted the energy of the game.
That’s what staying ready looks like. That’s what the Heat culture demands. And Myron Gardner, on a few hours of sleep and a couple of connecting flights, answered the call with a performance that reminded everyone why depth - and energy - matter.